Internal combustion engine



Aug. 24, 1943. N. P. sHERwooD INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed Nov. 21,1941 mvEN roR /4 r roRA/fy lillllllllllllil Noble P. Shervyqcl BY n f7@Patented Aug. 24, 1943 INTERNAL coMUsrIoN ENGINE Noble P. Sherwood,Dallas, Tex., assignor toV Heuschober Engineering Corporation, Fort WOrth, Tex.

Application November 21, 1941, `Serial No. 420,001

(Cl. 12S- 75) 5 claims.

This invention relates to internal Vcombustion engines of thereciprocating type and in such connection it relates more particularlyto the construction hereinafter shown and described.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of a simple andinexpensive supercharged -cycle internal combustion engine designed tobe operated on either compression igni-` tion orspark ignition. In theconstruction of the engine hereinafter described in detail, the pistonof the combustion chamber also provides a means for pressuresupercharging.-

Another object of the invention is the provision of means for a morelthorough scavenging than any l-cycle engine not equipped with separatescavenging pump. y

A further advantage of the invention is that the piston operation doesnot set up pressure in the crank case oi the engine.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent froma perusal of the following detailed description, taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawing, and in the drawing: Y

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional View of an internal combustion engineembodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a similar view to that of Figure 1,

but on a smaller scale and illustrating a modification thereof; and YFigure 3 is a vertical sectional View of the invention on the same scaleas that of Figure 2,

In accordance with the'several views of the y drawing, the engineconsistsof a cylinder Iwhich is bolted or otherwise secured to itscrank-case 2. The crank-case 2 is provided with a crankshaft 3 which isoperatively carried therein in the conventional manner. A piston 4 issldably disposed in the cylinder I and operatively-connected to thecrank-shaft 3 by means of a crankarm 5. The piston 4 is provided with arelatively long skirt 4a and. the crank-arm E is disposed in the lowerportion of the skirt of the piston, and connected thereto by a pin `(i.This arrangement of the pin 6 in the skirt of the piston Il, permitsthe` use of a disk 8 within the skirt of the piston and which serves asthe base for an auxiliary chamberv 1, the chamber being formed betweenthe piston head and the disk $2 and within the connes of the pistonskirt lla.

'I'he disk or partition 8 is rigidly held in position within the wallsof the skirt lI-a by means of a plurality of arms 9 (only one of whichis shown in Fig. 1) the lower ends of these arms projecting out of thecrank-case end of the cylinder I and beingsecured to some portion of thecrank-case 2 of the engine or cylinder block, such as shown in Figure l.'I'hesearms 9 may be so arranged that they will not hinder the swing ormovement of the crank-arm 5 during operation of the engine.v In theconstruction shown the arms 9 are so formed as to extend through a slotIi) in the end of the cylinder I. The top. of thedisk 8 may be so formedrelative to the under-side of the piston 4 as to permit the piston toperform its maximum stroke without engaging the disk 8. This arrangementof the piston and disk permits the head ofthe piston to serve as a.partition between the disk and the combustion end of the cylinder I.When the piston `tis reciprocated in the cylinder, itlintermittentlyforms two chambers in the cylinder I, i. e., the combustion chamber IIand the auxiliarynchamber 'L InV order to utilize the advantage gainedby the provision of the auxiliary chamber 1, the skirt --a of the pistonl has placed therein a` number of yopenings I2,4which serve as intakeportsy for the chamber l. The cylinder I' is cast with an intake openingI3 which is positioned so as to register with the auxiliary chamof thepiston skirt ll-a, and into kthe chamberr 1, formed as previouslyexplained by the space between the piston head and the disk .with thewalls of the skirt. When the piston head travels towards the disk 8, thepressure is reversed.

The cylinder block is so cast as to provide a chamber IQ which serves asa super-charging chamber for the engine. Figures 1 and 2 show thechamber I4 disposed above the intake port `I3 and made as an integralpart of the cylinder casting. The base of this casting is provided withan intake passage I5, which contains a cylindrical type of valve I6, ora rotary type of valve Iii-a, as shown in Figure 1. Either form of thisvalve functions to open and close the port I3, controlling the passageof air therethrough. The form of valve I6 may be made similar to apiston type of valve having a body portion I 'I and a-rigid stem I8. Inthis form of valve construction and as shown in Figures 2 and 3, angairpassage I9 is `interposed between the intake passage I5 `and the lowerend of the chamber I4. One end of the piston-type valve I6 seats in theair passage I5 and the other end of the valve seats in the lower end ofthe chamber I4. The valve I6 is so formed lthat its body portion I'Iprojects through the air passage I9 and it is positioned, relative tothe seats of the chamber I4 and the passage I5, so that it willintermittently open and close the openings thereof. The valve I5 may betimed so that air' may be intermittently drawn into the chamber 'I andthen forced into the chamber I4.

The rotary-type of valve I6-a, shown in Figure 1, serves the samepurpose as the valve construction I6, but in the operation of the ValveIt-a, it may be driven by gears or aftrain of gears, by means of a chainA and the sprockets B and C. The gear C is supported on the crankshaft 3and the gears B andC are of such diameters as to drive the rotary valveIS-aat onehalf crank-shaft speed, and in timed relation with the openingVand closing of the intake port I3 and air passage I5. i

The head 2li ofthe cylinder block o-r casting may be secured to thecylinder I inthe conventional manner. This head consists of an injector2|, an` exhaust valve 22, and an intake valve 23. l.Eachof these valves,as well as the valve I6, may be constructed similar to the conventionaltype of valves used in internal combustion engines and actuated 7by, acam shaft or cam shaftsthat are geared to the crank-shaft 3 of theengine, in connection with the stern or stems I 8. vIt is obvious thatthe head of the engine may also beprovided with glow plugs, spark plugs,and other units used-in engines (not shown.) The intake valve 23 of thehead 20 is positioned so as to seat in the passage of the air'fromthechamber I4 to thecombustion chamber I I of the engine.

In Figure 3 is illustrated a further modification of the invention, inwhich the Vinitial intake -of air to the auxiliary chamber I4 isdisposed on the opposite side of the cylinder I relative to the chamberI4. This .variation in the structure necessitates the use of an intakevalve 26 which is not an vintegral part of the valve I5, as shown inFigure 2. on the side of the cylinder I and `provided with a lateralport 28 which registers with a plurality of openings 29 whichrareprovided in the jacket or skirt of the piston 4. This chamber 21 isprovided with an adjustable piston 30 which may be moved to vary thecapacity of the chamber 2l. When the piston 4 is moved from the disk 8.air will pass `through the valve 26 and into the auxiliary chamber 1.When the piston travels in the reverse. direction, air will be forcedout of the chamber 1, through the ports I2, I3, into passage I9, throughvalve I6 and into the chamber I4.

The base of the chamber I4, in this `form of variation is formedv sothat the stem of the valve IB passes through the passage. Iand the valveI6 is openedY only when the piston 4 is on its downward stroke. Byplacing the initial intake valve regulating the pressure lto the chamber'I- engine by retaining part of the mixture in cham- An intake chamber2'I is formed may be threaded and a nut 33 screwed thereonv and againstthe cap 3| for holding the piston 30 in the desired position in thechamber 21..

In addition to the intake chamber 21 with its i piston 30 there is alsoplaced o-n the wall of the chamber I4 a small cylinder 34 with a piston35 for controlling the volume of cylinder I4. These elements may also beused with the construction of engine shown in Figure 1.

While the disclosure presents a practical working embodiment of aninternal combustion engine embodying the invention, including thevariations shown, it is to hek understoodthat the structure'may befurther modified in keeping with the inventive thought. thereof, andwhich modications would be within the scope and meaning of the claimsappended hereto.

y What is claimed is:

Vl. A four-cycle internal combustion engine comprising a cylinder havinga reciprocating piston therein, said piston including a'skirt portion, astationary member disposed within the skirt portion of said piston andadapted to form an auxiliary chamber within said skirt portion, portsdisposed in the skirt portion of said piston and said cylinder forpassage of air into said auxiliary chamber, a container disposed inoperative relation with said cylinder, means for directing said air fromsaid auxiliary chamber into said container, and means for releasing saidair from said 4container into said cylinder whereby the air willsupercharge said `cylinder for soave enging and combustion purposes.

2. A four-cycle internal combustion engine comprising a cylinder havinga reciprocating pisf ton therein, said piston having a uniform hollowextension open at one end, a member rigidly disposed in the extension ofsaid piston and adapted to form an auxiliary chamber in said piston,

a container operatively disposed relative to-said v 'cylinder, and portsand valves operatively 'disposed relative to said cylinder, auxiliarychainber and the container, whereby the movement of said piston willfunction to take in amedium into said auxiliary chamber, compress saidme- 4dium into said container, and then admit the medium into'saidcylinder for combustion purposes.

3. A four-cycle internal combustion engine comprising a cylinder havinga reciprocating piston operatively disposed therein, said piston havinga hollow skirt, a stationary member within the skirt of the piston, theskirt of said piston being adapted to telesco-pe over the stationary derfor combustion purposes; including meansv for adjusting the Volume ofsaid second cylinder to regulate the scavenging and chargingpressurethereof. Y

4. A four-cycle internal combustion engine as Wall of the piston skirtadjacent the chamber.

5. A four-cycle internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 3,wherein said stationary member is adapted to be mounted rigidly toeither the crank-case or to an extension of the cylinder block of theengine.

NOBLE P. SHERWOOD.

